Assuming
by KateToast
Summary: Chase learns a valuable lesson. Fluffy CZ oneshot.


**Disclaimer: **I don't own any TV shows at all, actually.

**A/N**: Cute, wicked short, fluffy story, just for the hell of it.

**XXX**

It was just another April afternoon.

Chase rubbed his thumb against the side of Zoey's hand. "So, I got the tickets."

"Tickets for what?" Zoey leaned back a little to meet his gaze, her head resting on his chest while he reclined against a tree.

"What do you mean, tickets for what?" Chase scoffed and gave her a pointed look.

Zoey frowned. "I _mean_: what the heck are you talking about?"

"The tickets! For the big formal dance!" Chase made a 'duh' face.

Staring up at him, Zoey blinked once, twice, three times before averting her eyes and frowning once more.

"You don't look happy." Chase's eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

Zoey shrugged, playing with the fingers of his hand that was laced with hers. "I'm not."

Chase looked shocked. "_Seriously_? I thought you wanted to go to this thing! It's all you and Nicole and Lola have been talking about! I thought you'd be _thrilled_ that I bought us two tickets to go…"

"Well, maybe if you had-"

Zoey didn't get to finish, though, as Chase cut her off, still on a rant: "I mean every single second it's 'oh, this dress would look _fabulous_ on you!', and 'oh, do your hair like _this_!', and 'oh, _he_ wouldn't match that color nail polish, but _he_ would!'" While mimicking the girls, Chase adopted a higher pitch.

"We are _not _like that!" Zoey pulled her hand away from his and sat up, switching positions so she was sitting Indian-style across from him.

"Psh, oh, _okay_." Chase rolled his eyes.

Zoey crossed her arms over her chest, not speaking to him anymore.

Chase sighed. "Are you mad at me now?"

No response, just a steely glare.

"I really have no idea what I did now. I swear, a guy brings up a simple topic like 'I got the tickets' and suddenly it's a war zone." Chase kept his green eyes on her. "C'mon, Zoe, lighten up. We're gonna have a great time at this dance, I promise! The committee isn't doing that dumb personality quiz like eighth grade, which sucked because you went with that other guy, or that stupid bonfire-on-the-beach theme like last year, which sucked because I was too chicken to ask you, (plus the whole thing with that one guy getting too close to the fire, forcing the fire department to come and ending the dance early)."

Zoey was now looking at him with only mild annoyance, instead of full-on anger.

"This year is gonna rock; I'm _determined_ that it'll rock, because now we're dating and it isn't gonna be this awkward thing. It'd be great if we could have limos, too, y'know, 'cause that'd be pretty awesome, just like regular schools. Of course you'd never use one here anyway, 'cause it'd be quicker on foot than riding in a limo, and _man_, are they expensive. You'd have to pay by the hour, which means you'd have to drive around campus for a while, just hangin' out, waiting for your money's worth. Though I guess we could always get Logan to pay; it'd be like buying a pack of gum for him."

"Chase?"

Chase, who had been staring off in the distance behind Zoey, brought his attention back to her face. "Yeah?"

"What are you talkin' about?"

"Oh… uh…" Chase scratched his neck. "Oh, right! The dance! It's gonna be awesome. I've got the tickets, and it isn't for another three weeks so that gives me plenty of time to get a suit and you can get your pretty dress and it'll be perfect. I just want this to be great, for both of us, y'know?"

Zoey had completely melted at this point, and she smiled a little, her brown eyes twinkling. "I know."

"Then why are you so mad about me getting the tickets?"

Shaking her head in amusement, Zoey patted his knee. "Chase… you never asked me to go in the first place!"

Chase stared at her, his mouth slowly falling open. "_Ask_ you?"

"Yeah!" Zoey crossed her arms over her chest, her gaze defiant.

"But… but… we're _dating_!"

"So? Sometimes a girl wants to be asked to something special, even if it is by her boyfriend, who she should be going with anyway. _Especially_ by her boyfriend, in fact." Zoey nodded knowledgably.

"You got mad at me because _I_, your boyfriend, didn't think to ask _you_, my girlfriend, if you wanted to go the dance with me?" Chase's look was incredulous.

Zoey shrugged easily. "Yes."

Chase rubbed his temple. "Well… I'm glad you told me before someone else got to you!" He smiled lightly. "Apparently you only go to dances with guys who ask outright."

"That's normally been my policy, yeah." Zoey grinned at him cutely.

"Okay then…" Chase moved to a kneeling position and took both Zoey's hands in his own. "Zoey Brooks, will you go to the dance with me?"

"Finally, you ask!" She looked at him cheekily, then softened. "And if you're offering… then I may as well say yes, Chase Matthews, I _will _go to the dance with you."

Chase leaned forward and kissed her, then sat back down and spread his legs out on either side of her. "I'm glad you did. Those tickets cost a fortune."

Zoey raised her eyebrows. "I hope that teaches you a lessen about not assuming things."

"Well, you know what they say about people who assume."

"What's that?" Zoey waited for his lame punch line, not able to help but find him adorable.

Chase paused a second, building the anticipation. She lifted an eyebrow, her pretty face questioning him. "They make an 'ass' out of 'u' and 'me'."

She giggled at that, sweetly and disbelievingly at the same time, and placed her hands on his knees, shifting her body forward a little. "Chase?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up," she advised, closing the distance between them.

Just another afternoon.

**XXX**

_End._


End file.
